Nicholas Lampiasi Burns Up Boards in Newsies, Now Hollywood Calls

First Movie, Molly’s Theory Of Relativity, Debuts in March

Nicholas Lampiasi, currently on Broadway in the hit musical Newsies is a certified stage veteran, and he’s only 10. The show follows his turn in the national tour of Billy Elliot, which he joined at age seven. Now Hollywood is calling.

His first movie, “Molly’s Theory Of Relativity,” from acclaimed director Jeff Lipsky, comes out March 1.

The family movie, also written by Lipsky, is about a beautiful twenty-eight-year-old astronomer who becomes dejected after unexpectedly loses her job.

But she learns about the true meaning of life on Halloween thanks to her husband, her father-in-law, three dead relatives, a precocious nine-year-old trick-or-treater, her grandfather and a six year old neighbor, who may or may not be imaginary.

Hollywood now seems to be firmly in his future. Could a Disney series a la Selena Gomez be next? The possibilities seem unlimited because of his talent.

We caught up with the pint-size wunderkind in his dressing room at Newsies, at the Nederlander Theatre for an Improper Q&A.

TheImproper: How did the Broadway bug get to you? Did you know right away that acting was going to be your life?

Lampiasi: I’m the youngest of four kids in my family, and I definitely got the theater bug from my older sisters Diana, 20, and Rebecca (18), and my brother Jeffrey, 16. There was always someone singing, dancing, filming a student film or doing something creative in my house, so of course I decided I needed to try it, too! Billy Elliot was actually my first theater audition ever and I was in 1st grade and 7 years old when I auditioned. When I found out I got the part I was So excited. I didn’t realize how much hard work it would be because I had never done a show before, but when I started performing in front of the audience it felt so great and I knew it was something I LOVED doing.

IM: You’re already something of a Broadway veteran, tell us a little about your current show.

Lampiasi:Newisies is a really fun show to be in, and I love that there are so many guys in the show – and that they are all such talented dancers, gymnasts and singers. I also love that my character Les is really feisty and not intimidated by the older Newsies and wants to be one of them. We are so lucky to performing in front of amazing audiences who really get into the show and that gives us so much energy on stage. Some of the guys in the show say that now we know what it feels like to be in a “Boy Band” I think we should call ourselves “1899 Direction” instead of “One Direction.”

Nicholas is currently appearing in Disney hit ‘Newsies’ on Broadway.

IM: Billy Elliot was a major breakthrough for you; how did you get the part?

Lampiasi: I was the youngest kid in the show, and the only Small Boy, so I did all 8 performances a week. I had to be really focused because I opened the show by myself, walking down the aisle of the theater carrying a boom box on my shoulder right through the audience. Each theater was different, so my entrance was different in each city, and how I got on to the stage would change.

IM: How did your movie role in ‘Molly’s Theory Of Relativity,’ come about?

Lampiasi: After I got back from the Billy Elliot, I started going out on some commercial and TV/Film auditions. I had done a bunch of student films in the past, but this was my first real film.

IM: What was that experience like for you?

Lampiasi: It was exciting to work with such great actors and a really talented creative team. It was also very funny that once I got on set I realized I knew the other little girl in the movie. She lives five minutes from my house, and we had done a theater summer camp together the summer before.

IM: You’re acting career has taken off, and now you’re being home schooled; do you think you’ll miss normal schooling?

Lampiasi: It’s challenging because I have a very busy schedule with the show, so I don’t have a lot of free time. But it’s fun because I get to focus a little more on things I want to do, and I get to work at my speed. I love math, so I like to do math that’s really challenging and I love computer programming. I’m learning Java right now.

IM: Have you been able to make friends in the Broadway community?

Lampiasi: I usually run into the same kids at most theater auditions so over the years we’ve started to become friends. The people from the Billy Elliot tour were my first real theater “family” because we didn’t just work together, we did everything together. There were about 20 kids on that tour and we did our school work together, did “field trips” to local museums, had nerf gun wars in the hallways of our hotel and even celebrated the holidays together.

IM: We’d be remiss in not saying that your pop star Debbie Gibson’s nephew ; I guess what you’re doing is almost like working in the family business?

Lampiasi: It really is the family business! Not only is Aunt Deborah musical, but my whole family is a very music and theater-type family. My sisters and brother always have friends over rehearsing for shows they are doing at school, or they are having their a Capella group rehearsals in our house. Other families go to their kid’s soccer or baseball games on the weekend; in my family there is always someone performing somewhere.

IM: What is it like having a major pop star as a family member?

Lampiasi: It’s a lot of fun. You can always count on some great sounding Christmas Carols at Christmas time and in in-tune version of “Happy Birthday” complete with harmony. But it’s also great to hear her talk about her experience performing when she was young, too.

IM: When you’re not in school or on the stage … what do you like to do?

Lampiasi: I love to play piano, do gymnastics, dance and play with my two dogs, Ben and Jerry. I also am learning computer programming.